


Cantera: A Foundation Story-Part 11

by Zurrunba



Series: Cantera [11]
Category: Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Genre: Alternate Universe - SCP Foundation, Cantera, Fillia, Galactic Empire, Gen, M/M, Science Fiction, Yllul, galaxy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27742840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zurrunba/pseuds/Zurrunba
Summary: The Galactic Empire has fallen, with kings, tyrants, and other rulers scrambling to seize power in systems across the galaxy. One such ruler was the Tyrant of Fillia, who thirty years before had crushed a revolt from the King of Cantera.But now the Tyrant Ysh is dead, and the home planet has broken out into civil war as the Fillian Empire is invaded by it's neighbor Yllul. Seeing no other choice King Hiero and Queen Moira of Cantera send their ships to defend the Fillian home world from attack from the outside as chaos continues to reign on the planet surface. In the meantime Moira has sent the Foundation representative to Terminus to make a proposal to leaders there, and Hiero focuses his eye on Fillia itself. What solution was there to the chaos that Princess Tonya had unleashed.
Series: Cantera [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1605262
Kudos: 2





	Cantera: A Foundation Story-Part 11

“There’s some kind of scheme happening on Gondor. Something I can’t put my finger on, your Grace. Someone on that planet has made some kind of deal with Yllul.”

Captain Zurx stood before Queen Moira in a private office where she was supposedly making preparations for an upcoming celebration. It might seem callous to be worrying about festivities when war had officially broken out between Fillia and Yllul, but these small things often helped the people on these worlds to cope with the tedious events happening on a stellar scale. 

“And you don’t know who, I take it,” she replied. “I can think of at least five people there who would work with anyone if it meant making enough credits.”

The question then would be which of them thought they would survive the experience if Yllul was able to infiltrate Gondor deep enough to manipulate things. Those Gondorans had to know the history of intriguers who invited Yllul in. There had been two known instances where someone had betrayed a planet in hopes of gaining power, only to find his head on the end of a pike (a favorite tactic Yllul had for making examples). 

Zurx didn’t respond. They both already knew the answer to the question. There were so many things going on it was hard to keep track of them all. Just when one thing is shored up or an enemy eliminated, something else finds its way crawling through the mire of politics to hit Cantera. 

When the queen dismissed the captain, she remained in her seat thinking of what her next move should be. Some of her options could be limited if her husband decided to make one of his inspirational moves. Any action in the direction of Gondor would eventually require Hiero’s approval. When it came to Gondor, she couldn’t do anything until her little scheme involving the Foundation diplomat Tempus had been presented to the council on Terminus.

War had hit the Fillian Empire’s borders, and Hiero had sent many of his ships to fight off the Yllul invasion. She should have an answer from Tempus within a week; ten days at most. Barring more surprises, she’d have a strong organized front from which to launch any of her future plans.  
____________________

“We have to go to Fillia,” the king said to Moira, who sat across from him, stunned at the pronouncement.

“That’s not a good idea,” she finally said after almost a minute’s silence. “Our people there can handle any military strategies that need to be arranged.”

Hiero tapped his finger on the table as he ran the plan through his mind. Certainly, Moira had to understand where he was going with this strategy. She wouldn’t like what he planned to do with the would-be leaders on the Fillian home world. 

“The longer we wait to act, the fewer options we’ll have when we finally do move. Do you think that what we have and what the Fillians have at their home world will be enough to stop the the invasion?”

“If you mean what Fillia has there now, then no, but don’t forget that besides the Border Fleet, Sargon Fleet, and our fleet, there are two others that came be brought forward.”

Even after she said it, it was clear to Hiero that she was having some doubts about the other fleets, as they were called. The three fleets that were in the Fillian System made up 57 ships, many of which weren’t designed for combat. They’d been adjusted to serve internal policing jobs, not combat, per se. The Sylliac Fleet was a bunch of washed up vessels on the brink of retirement. They could possibly be used in combat, but they were the remnants of those that fought the Canteran Revolt thirty years before. Cantera may have lost the war, but Fillia suffered huge losses. Then the Tyre Fleet was in the best shape of any of them, but the commander hesitated to move anything without a direct command from the tyrant himself. What would he do if there was no tyrant, or if he accepted Firon as the new tyrant, what if he never received a command? 

“I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I think I miss having Tyrant Ysh as our one enemy,” the queen admitted. 

“You know that’s crossed my mind, but we have to deal with what we have.”

Glancing to the side, perhaps at one of the scenery-based paintings depicting a beautiful place on Cantera, Moira was contemplating something. Was there another scheme she’d set in motion that he wasn’t aware of? Whatever it was it would have to take second place to what he was doing. He had to tread lightly. She was one of the two big decision makers of the Tilliar trading family. Nobody with a brain would do anything to upset her if it could be helped. She was no pushover who would put up with anything the king wanted.

“Is there something else on your mind?” he asked.

“Nothing to concern you just yet. I have some investigations going on, including some feelers around Gondor and Ryon. I was wishing to hear back from them before we made any major move.”

“What kind of intelligence are you gathering?”

She’d likely avoid answering directly. It would be impossible to know all of them. Merchants don’t divulge everything they have at once. Much is kept in reserve. 

Still with her eyes looking at the wall she responded, “Some information about ship movements around Gondor and Ryon. A stray comment coming from one of the media people on Gondor has me scouring the area around some border planets near us.”

Intrigued, he followed up, “Who is this media source and what did he say?”

“The media source has been quiet since the reporting he did. Someone there might not like what he was doing and put a lid on things. I don’t want to give us false hopes just now.” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “I might have to talk directly with my father to be sure of some things and assets before I proceed.”

Her father, of course, was the official head of the Tilliar merchant family. The king knew that though Moira was allowed access to almost every asset the family had, her father Paulo Tilliar had the final say on everything, including things that she might not be made totally aware of. Eventually she’d inherit it all, but Paulo would have many assets in reserve (and in theory could countermand something his daughter set in motion, though with the way their trading practices were, he doubted it would happen).

“So, he was silenced. The issue then would be if his silence is because he talked too much and is now dead. Doesn’t your father control some media centers on Duran and Liliac?”

“Yes. The center in Liliac has much better resources and people than Doran. The Doran outlets are recent acquisitions, so he hasn’t had time to “make improvements” I guess you might say. They do have to be careful about upsetting the imperial authorities.”

“Are you saying that the Liliac resources could be helpful?”

“Maybe. Again, I need to talk with my father. The media is one of those areas my father keeps close tight grip on.”

He tried prodding a little, but it became clear that she wouldn’t be giving out any additional information. Saying that she needed to speak with some people from the border worlds, Moira got up and headed for the door.  
As she walked off, he noticed that there was something different about her posture. Like she was trying to keep her balance as she went. It took a moment before he realized what it had to mean.

“Your pregnant.”

She stopped just before she reached the door and turned to face him. “You just now noticed?”

“You’ve done a good job hiding it, and for some reason you didn’t tell me, even though you knew I would want to know it.”

Shrugging, she responded, “I didn’t want to give you an excuse to stop sleeping in the same bed as me. Kings have been known to do so once the queen is pregnant.”

Shaking his head, he said, “That’s a strange idea.”

“Is it?” she asked. Smiling, she hurried out the door before he could say anything else. 

The instinctive thing was to run after her to demand more answers. Noting the guards around the room who likely would spread any strange actions of his kept him in place. They already heard her confirm she was pregnant. Such news that the king had an heir wouldn’t be kept silent no matter what he demanded of them.

So, what should he do now?

Slowly, he got to his feet and walked toward the wall that Moira had been staring at. Which of the pictures was she looking at? It probably didn’t matter. Likely she’d been staring off into space when deciding what to say. Each of these pictures was exquisite, created by a master artist of a different part of the planet. Nothing that really stood out. Shaking his head, he walked back to the desk and sat.

One thing was certain. Moira had to remain in the palace. Whether that would constrain his future actions didn’t matter. She did like to be active with her work, but it could easily all be done from here.

Thinking things over, an idea came to him. This would require the help of both Counselor Grij and General Shore. The general had returned to Station 1, so he’d have to work through his aid Captain Tya. Hesitating for a moment, he hit the button to contact his secretary. “Connect me with Erythrae Barracks.”

That barracks housed the elite marine units. They would be needed for another mission. Their mobilization would be a useful distraction from his other plan; not that what the marines will be doing wouldn’t have its own benefits. When their job was done, one of the planets near the Fillia system would be under Cantera’s complete control. From that platform they could confront Yllul and shake up things on Fillia itself. That civil war had to come to an end. It surprised him that the rest of the empire still held itself together without a tyrant pulling the strings.

Later that day, alone in the bedroom, he made contact with Captain Tya.

“Yes, Sire?” she asked, a clear sign of fatigue on her face. He couldn’t see anything but her face, but he was certain she’d been sleeping.

“I have a message I want you to take to your general.”

“Of course.” At this point the tired look on her face was gone and she was all business. The more he interacted with this woman the more impressed he was.

She jotted down what the king told her on some pad he couldn’t see. When he was done, she followed up. “Is there anything else, Your Grace?” When he informed that was everything she nodded and the connection ended.  
________________________

It happened sooner than the king or queen expected, but then even the best plans are limited by what one’s opponents did. Fifty Yllulian ships came straight for the Fillian home world. It was so surprising that the imperial ships in the system were scrambling to meet it when this fleet was just outside the system. The Canterans were the quickest to assemble, but the Sargon Fleet location was where the enemy moved first. 

Admiral Gylor managed to move most of his ships to put up a defensive position. Three of the Sargon Fleet’s vessels were destroyed within the hour. The shields were as strong as any that existed in the day, but in a sense, they were sacrificial buffers for the rest of the fleet. The fire of fifty ships would eliminate them in short order, A battle then ensued. In minutes the Canteran vessels joined in.

“Steer our ships to the right upper flank,” Commanxer Urkish of the Canteran Fleet ordered. “The enemy ships haven’t caught onto our presence yet.”

“How’s that possible?” the lieutenant asked as he passed the orders onto the other vessels in their fleet. “We’ve been moving out immediately after they entered the system.”

“Likely they hoped to deal with these ships first and wipe them out before we could get our ships in range. They know the Border Fleet is in no condition to give them trouble on its own.”

After that the two went through their scanners to make sure that no other ships had made their way into the Fillian System. There was no sign of anything. Without anything else to go on the Canteran ships moved straight toward the fight to hit the enemy on their flank. This drew several ships out of the fight to deal with Cantera, while the rest moved further back into the outer system. After doing so a section of them moved toward one part of the outer system while the other half moved in the opposite direction.

The commander took this all in with a little confusion. Had they realized they were outmatched and pulled back? With the determination the Yllulians had when moving into the Fillian system, he thought they had some plan for when they got here. They had to know how many ships they’d likely encounter. Unless they hadn’t considered the Sargon Fleet’s appearance. They couldn’t have mistaken it for the Border Fleet. The ships were a completely different class. 

After a little hesitation, he decided to take his ships and follow one of the fleeing groups, telling the admiral he might want to do the same. Strange. What was Yllul up to?  
_______________________

“You’re sure about this?” asked Counselor Tical. “No possible misunderstandings?”

“Yes, sir,” the factory manager replied. “We saw her heading for the trader platform that Eileen had been using to sneak the empire’s spies on and off the planet.”

Tical sighed, running his fingers through what remained of his hair. “I thought Grij and the king had kept an eye on that platform since Eileen was caught. Everyone coming in and out of there under extra scrutiny.”

“They did, sir. You know that both of them were here seeing to it personally.”

That was true. The king and Grij wouldn’t neglect anything. Unless there was someone else that they thought they could trust who turned out to be otherwise. The several attempts on the lives of the king and queen made it clear that nothing could be taken for granted. 

The counselor walked toward the main computer consul and began typing in the codes to pull up the screens for all security cameras in the factory and administrative buildings. Going through this would take a long time and would need more than one set of eyes. He couldn’t trust just anyone to work on this. There was at least one person left here who was at least looking the other way if not betraying them. 

Most of what he saw didn’t look unusual. Three more people he knew he could trust were set to help look through the camera images and computer data. The factory section itself all looked to be in order. No evidence of tampering with anything was detected with his general sweep. The only other thing to do would be to inspect the work being done to see if something like trackers or scanners had been placed on anything. To be honest, at this point having anyone know what Cantera had been secretly doing over the past decade wouldn’t be catastrophic. Not with the tyrant Ysh dead and the Fillian home world still in civil war. For some reason none of those in the fleets had decided to immediately get involved. They want to wait things out.

And now with the invasion they had other things to worry about than who would end up on top. Coups to overthrow rulers on the planet had happened before, with little change on the farther systems of the empire. Regardless, whatever this person was up to it had to be neutralized. It couldn’t be something helpful to Cantera.

“Sir, I think I’ve found something,” one of Tical’s assistants said.

The counselor stopped what he was doing and walked over to the console, glancing at the data on the screen. The engineer standing next to them came over to look as well. 

At first Tical wasn’t sure what he was looking at. Three of the warehouses were displayed on the screen. The images were from the day before and a week before, showing human activity of workers doing their jobs. On the bottom of the screen there was the sign ins of each person going in and the uses of badges going out. Finally, a video from a week before brought up a name he recognized; Gale Iar. 

Stepping back in surprise, Tical turned to his head of security. “I thought Counselor Iar’s credentials had been deactivated after we found him dead and uncovered Eileen’s treachery.”

Before the man could respond he glanced back at the screen and adjusted the cameras to see where the person was entering the warehouses. The person with Gale’s credentials had entered five warehouses that he could determine, as well as seven factories. All of them scattered around the capital city. When he tried to locate where the person entered, he discovered that each of those places were where a direct camera shot wasn’t available. Whoever this was knew how the security system worked in the factories. 

Determined to find this person, he adjusted the images and angles around to the nearest place where those entrances were. These entrances had been devised by the original creators to make it so certain people could get in and out of areas unharassed. Tical suspected it was also to hide double dealing and schemes of those in power. He hadn’t thought about these secret entrances in a long time. He’d make sure the king knew about this. Maybe something would then be done.

He found a spot in one of the warehouses where the entrance might not be visible, but the angle of the image could catch someone walking through a nearby corridor where it made a sharp turn and into possible view of the camera. This entrance had been used by the mysterious person ten times in the past month, judging by what the data said. After this, other credentials of dead or terminated workers would have to be scanned for. That sort of thing would be more likely than someone who had the guts to use such a high-profile ID as the dead counselor.

When the person came into view before hurrying over to another corner, he froze the image. It was a woman, probably in her thirties, but gauging age from this kind of image was pointless. Not with the kinds of things women get these days to keep themselves looking younger. She wore a hood, but he could tell she had black hair and her skin was a bit paler than the average inhabitant of the planet. 

He adjusted the image again to get a closer look at the person. The face could be turned slightly to see a little more. The hair looked off, like the woman was wearing some kind of wig. That would cause problems with identification. Scanning the rest of the figure he stopped at the left hand that was raised up to touch the wall. Perhaps they could get the woman’s prints, but that wasn’t his immediate observation. The ring on her finger was what stood out. 

“I need to talk to Counselor Oris,” Tical finally said, his eyes still glued to the screen. “Tell him that the king demands his immediate presence here in the office.”

Confusion on his face, the technician said, “Sir, the king hasn’t demanded anything.

“He would if he knew that Oris’ wife was sneaking through the factories and warehouses using a dead man’s credentials.”  
_______________________________

General Firon, the purported heir to the Fillian tyrant Ysh, stared out the window of one of his sitting rooms in the emperor’s palace. A palace that had seen more bloodshed in the past six months than the empire had in the past twenty years. This felt like a civil war worse than the revolt of Cantera thirty years before. He longed for days like that to returned compared to this. In that revolt a Canteran strike force had made it onto the planet and attempted to disrupt the tyrant’s logistics. A bold move that almost succeeded. The fighting across the palace then paled in comparison to this.

Ironically, it had been another group of Canterans that finally took the tyrant out with that small fleet of strange ships. Ysh had suspected that scheming king had been up to something. The planet clearly exaggerated how badly their manufacturing was. Anyone with a brain should’ve guessed that it wouldn’t take Hiero so long to rebuild what they’d lost. And now Ysh was dead and Fillia’s home world was in chaos. They got what they wanted. Doubtless it was only a matter of time before a Canteran fleet found its way here to finish them off.

But he was never one to cave when difficulty arrived. Things looked bad, but so long as he lived and he had his resources available, he would fight. One of the rebel groups had managed to penetrate his defensive lives half way toward his headquarters, at least the ones that he used at the time, but they’d been driven back with great loss. From what he understood that had been the people of the faction called Republicans, though both they and the rebel group with tyrant aspirations could get confused when seeing where the fight came from. The last bloody fight had ended three days before, leaving a trail of almost two hundred bodies in its wake. 

Stalemate once again. If his forces hadn’t seized and kept control of the weapons’ arsenal, they would’ve lost weeks ago. He could make short work of these traitors if he could just contact one of his bases. Part of the problem he recently discovered had to do with a raid of some kind from Yllul. That news slipped through from some of the loyalists he knew he could trust. If it were more than a raid they’d be in a lot of trouble. 

“Captain, what’s the situation?” he demanded from his aide standing at one of the room’s computers.

“Sir, we lost fifty soldiers in the latest attack. The forces managed to cut off the retreat of most of those who made it through the gap. We managed to retake everything lost in the attack. They were a bit overconfident with this latest attack and didn’t fortify any new positions.”

“And what’s the situation with their forces and positions now?”

The captain’s fingers raced across the keyboard, clearly sorting through a lot of information. Several camera images were brought up and sifted through. Many of the cameras were damaged, giving only partial resolutions, while others had corridors full of smoke. The computers on this part of the palace could only access so many places. When the fighting had started and it was clear that this was going to be a section by section fight, each of them had arranged the computers in their sections to block access to cameras outside of their areas. Only a few people knew how to fix that and none of them controlled the central computer. (Thanks to no such people being among the Republicans who controlled that space).

“The sector where the attack came from looks to be in chaos. They’re scrambling to seal the area off again. I don’t think we could mount an effective counter attack in the direction they came from.”

Pity. That would’ve been at least something they could’ve gained from this mess. Now they would just keep an eye in all directions while they cleared the bodies and debris.

A few moments later Firon saw something through the window far up in the sky. Some small movement followed by flashes of light. Other dots above joined in with more flashes. This could only mean one thing. A battle was taking place far above around the planet’s orbit. Swiftly he ran to the console and activated one of the scanners he had access to. These scanners would only enlarge the view so much. The orbital imagers couldn’t be controlled from where he was. Just a little better he saw fighting taking place with dozens of ships. It was too far away for him to make out which ships belonged to who. If an enemy force was to get the upper hand, he’d know soon enough. Then, just as suddenly, the ships pulled back and out of orbit, leaving people like him confused. Was this just some kind of skirmish? Whether it was or not, the fact that it took place above the power center of the Fillian Empire boded ill. Could they fight off a Canteran strike force like the one thirty years before? 

Not wanting to think about it, he focused all his attention back to the problem at hand. 

“Captain, I want an inventory of all our resources we have available in our zone within the hour. Then I want to assemble the captains in Sector C. We’re going to have a little discussion before my next plan is to take shape.”

“Plan, sir? What kind of plan, might I ask?”  
________________________

When Tempus returned to Cantera, he reflected on everything that had happened during his four-week trip. Terminus was as lively as ever. Most of the traders and members of the council had been eager to hear about what was happening on the other side of the galaxy. They always heard about border activity, but not things on the far side of Trantor. He informed them of some things going on here and there, including general insights with the war just started between Fillia and Yllul, but he kept most details to himself. As much as he wished otherwise, he wasn’t there on a pleasure trip. Still, he wondered how Queen Moira had managed to convince him to help her with some family matters. 

Shrugging this off, he made sure that he kept his sight on the people that he came to consult. The Tilliar family always managed to manipulate people, so no point in dwelling on the queen’s persuasions. When interacting with the two counselors he decided to approach, it looked doomed to fail, until he brought out both the royal seal and that of the Tilliar family, with a digital document with the Tilliar official mark to back up what he was saying. Both of the council members were associated with trading organizations doing business outside of Foundation space, and the prospect of working with a Tilliar woman who was also the current Queen of Cantera sucked them in. Given the right incentive and credentials, they were easy marks. Ironing out the details was always what took up most of the time.

Now he was back and surprised to note just how much had changed in the Fillian Empire. Sneaking across the border had been much harder this time. Of course, just because it was more difficult didn’t mean he couldn’t handle it. There was a reason he’d been chosen to work the spider’s web that was Canteran politics. His counterpart on Fillia itself had been forced underground until things cooled off. That one still had it easier compared to Tempus, in his opinion.

After sending his message the way they’d agreed to, he sat in the restaurant to wait for the queen’s arrival. This restaurant was one of the oldest on the planet, and really one of the nicer ones despite how it looked from the outside. People who came here were largely part of select groups who heard about it from word of mouth, and somehow it had been very successful.

Half way through his second drink a figure in a dark green cloak came in and sat in a stool next to his to order a drink. A sign from the figure caused the bartender to nod before leaving the counter. He wasn’t the least surprised when he discovered that it was Moira. Having come in alone she must’ve left her security detail outside. At least she hadn’t dressed up as a woman of the night. That experience still gave him chills thinking about it. What if the king found out or even any of the others who’d been present when she’d come in disguised to talk with him?

“Your message indicated some success in the errand I sent you on?” she inquired. 

“You could say that,” he responded. “Both Grecko and Uma are open to your proposals. They just want a few more details concerning when things will get started.”

The queen nodded; her eyes focused on nothing in particular. As time progressed with her not saying anything, it was clear that something else was on her mind than the trade deals and agreements they were talking about. 

Finally, she turned back to him. “There are a lot of things happening right now that are getting harder to juggle. I’ve set a lot of things in motion. Many of them will come to fruition soon, and there’s a chance that a collision could occur that I don’t want.”

Looking him in the eye she continued, “If a collision happens, there will be a good deal of danger for those in the path of the pieces flying in all directions.”

A knot started to form in his stomach. Thinking back at the things he knew she’d been involved with, on Gondor, on Trantor, Terminus, and even Fillia itself, there could be fallout should things go wrong, some of it seen as dangerous, but nothing that should cause Moira to have the kind of concern he saw on her face.

“What are you not telling me?” he asked in a lower tone. 

“A lot, as it turns out, but then that’s the nature of how trade and politics works. Some things are about to happen in the empire that will shake things up a bit. To keep the potential shockwaves going in the direction I need them to, I need to run things directly.”

“I’m guessing that the king isn’t aware of these things, as usual?”

Shaking her head, she said, “No. He’s hatching a plan of his own that will take him to Fillia. I tried to talk him out of it, claiming that it was too dangerous. That he should have someone else do it; but he’s insisting, and in the end he’s the one that makes the final decisions there.”

“And this shockwave you said you need to deal with, what does it have to do with me?”

“I need you to get me off the planet and to Fillia before the king gets there.”

Hearing this Tempus nearly knocked his cup on the floor.

“That’s insane. The king will never allow you off the planet at a time like this. Especially with you carrying the heir to the kingdom.”

Shrugging, the queen responded, “That’s why I’m asking you to help me. You can get in and out of just about anywhere practically unnoticed. If I tried to get onto a Canteran ship or a Tilliar trade vessel I’d likely be stopped on my way out, but someone with intel from the planet could get information off to someone we don’t want to know. Zurx could possibly make it happen with his little side dealings, but I have another vital job for him to do. It has to be you.”

Putting a credit down to pay for the drinks she got up, ready to leave. Just before doing so she looked side long at him. “I need to leave tonight before anyone suspects. I expect your call in the next couple hours,”

Then she scurried off for the door, leaving him stunned. One didn’t mess around with the things powerful people asked you to do, and the queen was especially the case. Could he sneak her off the planet without the king being the wiser? Of course, that was the wrong question. She was right that he could get in and out of places without hindrance, but once the king knew she was gone as well as him, it wouldn’t take long for the two to be put together. He’d already figured out when Moira had sent him to Terminus, though he hadn’t confronted him about it. Tempus was about to discover just how long of a leash the queen had and if even his diplomatic status would keep him from ending up the way several of the king’s former enemies did.  
_________________________

“Where is Thelia?” the king demanded of his trade counselor, “and where is Counselor Oris? I haven’t seen him in two days.”

“Sire, I’m not sure,” Tical admitted. “I only found out about Thelia Oris’s sneaking around the plants and warehouses a week ago. I didn’t want to cast out dispersions until I had more. I was hoping that she would try to use Iar’s credentials again so that we could zero in on her, but since the last punch ten days ago they haven’t been used. Neither the counselor or his wife are at their residence. The one daughter who still lives with them says that her mother had taken a pleasure trip somewhere south of here on the planet. As for her father, she says she thought’s he was just doing another one of his work binges he’d been known to do. At times she’s gone four or five days without hearing from him.”

That shows the dedication that Oris had to his job, if not for the recent events coming to light.

“What is this place their daughter said Thelia was staying at?”

“White Lake Resort,” said Counselor Grij as he walked into the room unannounced. 

The defense minister’s abrupt entrance threw everyone off, and the king would’ve chided him if not for the serious look on his face. Protocol at this moment wasn’t as important as getting the answers he needed. The king also felt bad that he hadn’t brought Grij in sooner when it was discovered that something else was wrong on the planet at a high level.

“You probably won’t be surprised to hear that neither she or Alan have been seen there in the past eight months.”

The king laid back in his chair and closed his eyes. Did they have another Eileen Iar on their hands? Were they about to find Counselor Oris dead like Iar?

As if anticipating the question Grij continued, “We’ve reason to believe that Thelia may be acting under duress. In two of the places she’s been known to be, we found a couple signs that are directing us to other clues. Either she’s being really sloppy or leaving some kind of message.”

“Alan’s wife is many things, but sloppy isn’t one of them,” the king said. “Those two working together is what made manufacturing so strong on this planet after the failed revolt.” Best not to dwell on the fiasco from thirty years before. “Can we trust where these clues are leading us?”

“Yes,” Grij said with conviction. “Some kind of threat must be happening to their family. I believe that’s why Alan has disappeared. Thelia required a bit more persuasion to make her do what they want than Eileen did.”

“Okay, get some of your people on it. And make sure that all their children and other relatives are accounted for. If we can find out what the lever is, we can better neutralize it.”

Uncovering this was making him question whether or not to embark on his latest scheme. Could something terrible happen on the planet while he was gone? Best not to second guess things now. His presence wasn’t essential for things to remain working. Grij and his associates could handle most things while he was gone. With Tical distracted by activities on the grounds there, he would need some more manpower, but that could easily be supplied. 

Making the arrangements for increased security and other assistants to the plants and factories, Tical was dismissed. He then turned to Grij.

“Is everything ready for Project Thule?”

In response Grij walked up and handed a tablet to the king. Quickly the information was sifted through. Everything that was needed for this job was ready and available. The main thing that could go wrong would be the actions of the Tyre Fleet. Though its actions generally demanded a direct order from a sitting ruler in order to take drastic action, what the king was about to unleash could easily be seen as a giant threat warranting that fleet getting involved. They would have to move fast, and the king himself would need to be on the move shortly to be at Fillia when he wanted to. The hardest part would be to keep the queen on the planet. She could run her schemes just as easily from the palace as anywhere else.

“Good work, counselor. This should work nicely. General Shore should have everything he needs here. Are there any changes in the situation at Fillia?”

“No. The Yllulian ships that attacked the planet have split in two with our ships chasing one and Admiral Gylor is chasing the other. The Border Fleet ships are remaining in place to keep an eye on things. For some reason the enemy wants to be chased across the solar system. Our ships have taken out a couple of the reckless ones, but the others are still being elusive.”

“How are they managing to keep out of the range of all the ships there in the system?”

“Very carefully,” Grij responded with a sour voice. “I’ll keep you posted on any changes. I’m thinking the Yllulians are looking for something. Something tells me that it’s something we’d rather they didn’t find.”

When he was alone again Hiero set back and considered the different schemes that were in play, but in place by both him and Moira. Somehow, he had to get more information from Moira on what she was doing to make sure that none of their plans would clash. Realizing there was still a lot he needed to do before heading back to his rooms he sent a message to Moira to let her know he’d be late. She would suspect that anyway, but with the way things were going who knew what could possibly happen walking from one end of this complex to another. Leaning back, he closed his eyes. Just for a moment he’d take some deep breaths to clear his head and then get back to work. 

When his eyes opened, he quickly looked at the clock. Startled, he realized he’d been asleep for five hours. Reaching for his com link he tried reaching out to Moira. She didn’t answer the call in their residence, so as quickly as he could he tried all the other places that he knew she tended to go when doing her work or relaxing. None of them panned out.

Concerned, he called the palace secretary and others to find her. It was a drastic action. Moira wouldn’t like his digging into her business if she was just interacting with her contacts. She did have her own work. But the actions of Thelia made it clear that nothing could be taken for granted. It took over three hours before the palace secretary called him back.

“Your Grace, I’m sorry to say that we can’t find the queen. She’s vanished.”

“What do you mean you can’t find her? She has a pager on her at all times in case of an emergency. Didn’t you try it?”

“I believe it has been turned off, Your Grace. I don’t know why.”

Turned off? By who, the queen or someone else? 

Then he recalled the reaction Moira had when he informed her she wouldn’t be leaving the planet, but would stay behind to protect her and the baby. She hadn’t been happy about it, but didn’t give off more than a mild protest. That had been unlike her. She normally would’ve fought tooth and nail to convince him to take her along, unless she had something else planned. She was leaving the planet, but where would she go? 

Looking at the data pad on his desk, he thought he might know. And if he was right, she was taking herself and their baby into a hornets’ nest.  
__________________________

Prince Lorn woke, noting that the ship was in a fixed place in space. In some respects, it looked much like where they’d been the last four days. For all he knew, they’d remained there the whole time, each movement of the ship it might’ve taken just running around in a circle until coming back, wherever. He had no access to a computer consul here, and the one flying this ship wasn’t answering any questions. A glance at a single monitor in his room indicated that there were three other ships with them, all of them old clunkers like this. Nothing made any sense.

Getting to his feet, he headed for the wash room to make himself more presentable. It really was foolish, as who cared here how he looked? It was really a force of habit that never left him. His reflection in the mirror showed lines of stress that he wished he had his kits to help get rid of. He always liked to look as good as possible. His wife had liked that about him. Where she was, he had no idea. Off doing some other bit of treasonous activity no doubt. Despite what one might think, she had really cared about him. She just always had some grand ambitions of her own that a lot of times took precedence over her feelings about him. He knew what was likely to happen to her in the end. The notion of her toppling the kingdom was far beyond insane.

When he headed to the front of the ship, he saw the pilot looking through some stellar charts. They looked to be areas in three different sectors. When he noticed Lorn’s approach he turned them off. 

“It looks like you’re feeling a bit better since leaving Cantera,” the pilot said. 

“If you mean I’m not emptying my stomach due to being bounced around, then you’re correct.”

“I do apologize for that. We had to bounce off of the Fillian system before veering out this direction. It was the fastest way to get to where we’re going. Our three escorts distracted the Fillian ships in the system with some messages in one of ancient Earth’s many languages. It succeeded in confusing them long enough to get to the desired lane without being cut off.”

“Ancient Earth?” he repeated, not sure what to make of it. For some reason this person was throwing out the strangest things when discussing tactics to get him away from Cantera, and now they jumped through the Fillian system as well. He was pretty sure that their destination was out of the empire altogether. Since he couldn’t see the charts being used, he could only speculate.

Something else dawned on him as well. The man looked roughly the same age as him, but he got the feeling that their ages weren’t the least bit close. Something in the eyes told him that despite the polite mannerisms, something devious was underway.

“We use what we have available to accomplish our goals, Unfortunately, these were the only ships available for the purpose of abstracting you. They’re a bunch of old clunkers we found on one of the abandoned worlds near Cantera. When you got in trouble I, and my superior, agreed that it would be a shame for harm to come to one duped into treasonous activities.”

Duped was a harsh term, but he really couldn’t think of a better one. His wife may have loved him, but she used him like an old worn suit that served its purpose. The way things sounded here he might not see her again to ask why she did what she did. 

“Certainly, I’m not the only one caught up in such a plight. What’s going on?” 

“Patience, my dear prince. Once I’ve made contact again with some people and my superior, all will be made known. Our priority now is to get you as far from Fillian space as we can without running into other problems. Then your questions can be answered.” Next the man handed him a book film of some sort. “In the meantime, you might consider reading this. I think you’ll find it interesting.”

The temptation to simply throw the book on the floor was strong, until he looked at its title. The Colonization and Destruction of the Inhabitants of Cantera.

Looking up he saw a smile on the man’s face before he turned back around to observe his charts again. Lorn looked at the book in his hand as he walked back to what served as his quarters. He knew this book, or at least of it. As far as anyone knew the last known copy was destroyed four hundred years before. Knowledge of the early days of Cantera now was sparse. The man had given him something to indulge in rather than worry about where this trip was taking him. He might as well make the best of it.

Here ends Part 11 of Cantera: A Foundation Story


End file.
